U.S. Energy Information Administration logo
Skip to sub-navigation

EIA is continuing normal publication schedules and data collection until further notice.

‹ Consumption & Efficiency

Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS)

Glossary › FAQS ›

‹ BACK TO ALL 2015 RECS TABLES

Table HC10.9 Average square footage of U.S. homes, 20151

Release date: October 2017
Revised date: May 2018

Number of housing units (million) Average square footage
per housing unit		 Average square footage
per household member
  Total U.S.2 Total3 Heated4 Cooled4 Total3 Heated Cooled
All homes 118.2 2,008 1,754 1,375 789 689 540
Census region and division              
Northeast 21.0 2,090 1,791 1,015 843 722 409
New England 5.6 2,186 1,861 783 906 771 325
Middle Atlantic 15.4 2,055 1,765 1,100 820 704 439
Midwest 26.4 2,278 2,043 1,624 913 819 651
East North Central 18.1 2,250 2,051 1,563 885 806 614
West North Central 8.3 2,338 2,024 1,758 981 849 737
South 44.4 1,939 1,679 1,572 767 665 622
South Atlantic 23.5 1,999 1,669 1,615 801 669 647
East South Central 7.2 1,870 1,625 1,393 743 645 553
West South Central 13.8 1,873 1,725 1,592 724 667 616
West 26.4 1,791 1,563 1,081 667 582 402
Mountain 8.5 2,007 1,896 1,360 777 734 527
Mountain North 4.2 2,171 2,037 1,294 812 761 484
Mountain South 4.3 1,844 1,755 1,427 741 705 573
Pacific 17.9 1,689 1,405 947 617 513 346
Census urban/rural classification5              
Urban 94.7 1,931 1,684 1,359 762 665 537
Urbanized area 82.2 1,942 1,690 1,374 760 662 538
Urban cluster 12.5 1,861 1,646 1,259 777 687 526
Rural 23.5 2,320 2,039 1,439 891 783 552
Metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area              
In metropolitan statistical area 98.5 2,014 1,753 1,403 785 683 547
In micropolitan statistical area 12.3 2,014 1,784 1,299 830 735 535
Not in metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area 7.4 1,930 1,726 1,130 775 693 454
Climate region6              
Very cold/Cold 42.5 2,228 2,007 1,334 894 805 535
Mixed-humid 33.5 2,073 1,771 1,530 807 689 596
Mixed-dry/Hot-dry 12.7 1,668 1,416 1,256 620 526 467
Hot-humid 22.8 1,742 1,495 1,483 704 604 599
Marine 6.7 1,842 1,598 713 667 579 258
Housing unit type              
Single-family detached 73.9 2,553 2,210 1,757 934 809 643
Single-family attached 7.0 1,774 1,528 1,186 725 624 485
Apartments in buildings with 2-4 units 9.4 1,020 969 603 426 404 252
Apartments in buildings with 5 or more units 21.1 882 782 627 447 396 318
Mobile homes 6.8 1,198 1,145 813 456 436 310
Year of construction              
Before 1950 20.8 2,012 1,675 935 806 671 375
1950 to 1959 12.6 1,867 1,607 1,111 763 657 454
1960 to 1969 12.8 1,874 1,622 1,197 801 693 512
1970 to 1979 18.3 1,767 1,559 1,243 701 618 493
1980 to 1989 16.0 1,831 1,608 1,350 760 667 560
1990 to 1999 16.8 2,185 1,960 1,704 811 728 633
2000 to 2009 17.0 2,388 2,132 1,954 855 763 699
2010 to 2015 3.8 2,347 2,081 1,944 837 742 693
Number of stories              
One story 47.5 2,054 1,755 1,421 808 690 559
Two stories 29.5 3,131 2,732 2,149 1,057 922 725
Three or more stories 1.8 2,945 2,585 1,601 1,090 957 593
Split level 2.1 2,828 2,589 2,065 990 907 723
Not asked (apartments and mobile homes) 37.3 974 895 655 443 407 298
Fuels used for any use (more than one may apply)              
Electricity 118.2 2,008 1,754 1,375 789 689 540
Natural gas 68.6 2,113 1,856 1,472 818 719 570
Propane7 11.6 2,441 2,109 1,488 1,002 866 611
Wood 12.5 2,542 2,226 1,522 908 795 544
Fuel oil/kerosene 6.9 2,375 1,957 952 926 763 371
Distributed solar generation              
Yes 1.5 2,846 2,440 1,954 952 816 654
No 86.2 2,378 2,067 1,633 882 766 605
Not asked (apartments) 30.5 924 839 619 439 399 294
Main space heating fuel              
Natural gas 57.7 2,220 1,994 1,570 859 772 608
Electricity 40.9 1,677 1,539 1,254 675 619 505
Fuel oil/kerosene 5.8 2,321 1,908 932 909 748 365
Propane 5.0 2,498 2,208 1,633 1,007 890 658
Wood 3.5 2,220 1,935 790 855 745 304
Do not use heating equipment 5.1 1,264 Q 807 484 Q 309
Type of air-conditioning equipment used (more than one may apply)              
Use central air-conditioning equipment 76.1 2,219 1,960 1,958 865 764 763
Use individual air-conditioning units 32.1 1,725 1,485 764 665 572 294
Do not use air-conditioning equipment 15.4 1,690 1,400 0 679 562 0
Fuel used by main water heater              
Natural gas 56.3 2,120 1,867 1,486 818 720 573
Electricity 54.6 1,831 1,591 1,282 730 634 511
Propane 4.2 2,527 2,187 1,456 1,028 890 592
Fuel oil/kerosene 2.8 2,343 1,915 792 946 773 320
Some other fuel 0.3 2,882 2,856 1,987 1,073 1,063 740
Indoor light bulbs installed              
Fewer than 20 31.4 1,524 1,309 973 693 595 442
20 to 39 33.2 1,821 1,599 1,173 768 674 495
40 to 59 19.9 2,104 1,845 1,452 821 720 567
60 to 79 23.7 2,354 2,053 1,690 831 724 596
80 or more 10.0 3,144 2,782 2,407 896 793 686
Total number of rooms (excluding bathrooms)              
1 or 2 5.3 661 551 465 407 339 286
3 9.0 886 794 535 477 428 288
4 16.8 1,085 967 676 501 447 312
5 19.4 1,537 1,313 965 605 517 380
6 22.2 1,951 1,687 1,293 735 635 487
7 16.9 2,420 2,087 1,620 907 782 607
8 12.6 2,820 2,464 1,959 995 870 691
9 or more 16.0 3,634 3,237 2,773 1,154 1,028 881
Number of bedrooms              
0 3.2 673 577 496 415 356 306
1 11.7 857 779 527 573 521 353
2 29.8 1,317 1,153 836 585 513 371
3 47.6 2,177 1,881 1,442 820 708 543
4 20.5 3,037 2,675 2,240 963 849 711
5 or more 5.3 3,759 3,307 2,866 991 872 755
Have a basement              
Yes 35.2 3,062 2,522 1,861 1,108 913 673
Finished basement 20.6 3,131 2,698 2,108 1,106 953 745
Unfinished basement 14.6 2,964 2,274 1,514 1,110 852 567
No 45.7 2,042 1,865 1,589 766 700 596
Not asked (apartments and mobile homes) 37.3 974 895 655 443 407 298
Adequacy of insulation              
Well insulated 37.5 2,233 1,963 1,619 876 770 635
Adequately insulated 57.9 2,011 1,762 1,400 796 697 554
Poorly insulated 20.9 1,675 1,444 942 633 546 356
No insulation 1.9 1,149 811 555 562 397 272
Type of glass in windows              
Single-pane glass 48.7 1,642 1,410 1,062 660 567 427
Double-pane glass 68.3 2,263 1,995 1,590 873 769 613
Triple-pane glass 1.2 2,381 2,004 1,846 1,028 866 797
Number of household members              
1 member 28.7 1,512 1,348 964 1,512 1,348 964
2 members 42.7 2,065 1,784 1,424 1,033 892 712
3 members 19.4 2,119 1,842 1,468 706 614 489
4 members 15.5 2,360 2,097 1,735 590 524 434
5 members 7.2 2,302 2,017 1,612 460 403 322
6 or more members 4.6 2,470 2,084 1,511 373 315 228
2015 annual household income              
Less than $20,000 22.9 1,321 1,154 714 600 524 324
$20,000 to $39,999 27.3 1,693 1,479 1,073 719 628 456
$40,000 to $59,999 18.4 1,903 1,639 1,298 773 666 527
$60,000 to $79,999 15.2 2,165 1,871 1,459 809 699 545
$80,000 to $99,999 9.7 2,284 2,021 1,669 841 744 614
$100,000 to $119,999 8.1 2,643 2,338 1,974 893 790 667
$120,000 to $139,999 5.4 2,740 2,383 2,075 908 790 688
$140,000 or more 11.2 3,089 2,725 2,447 1,024 903 811
Ownership of housing unit8              
Owned 74.5 2,467 2,147 1,725 953 829 666
Rented 43.7 1,226 1,085 778 496 439 315

1Housing characteristics data were collected between August 2015 and April 2016.
2Total U.S. includes all primary occupied housing units in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Vacant housing units, seasonal units, second homes, military houses, and group quarters are excluded.
3Total square footage includes all basements, finished or conditioned (heated or cooled) areas of attics, and conditioned garage space that is attached to the home. Unconditioned and unfinished areas in attics and attached garages are excluded. The square footage for some housing units was calculated based on measurements taken by the interviewer. For households responding without the presence of an interviewer, square footage was imputed based on characteristics of the housing unit. See 2015 RECS Square Footage Methodology for full details about data collection and processing.
4When calculating average heated and cooled square footage all housing units are considered, including those that are not heated or cooled.
5Housing units are classified using criteria created by the U.S. Census Bureau based on 2010 Census data. Urbanized areas are densely settled groupings of blocks or tracts with 50,000 or more people, while urban clusters have at least 2,500 but less than 50,000 people. All other areas are rural.
6These climate regions were created by the Building America program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
7Households that use propane only for outdoor grilling are excluded from the RECS estimate of households using propane.         
8Rented includes households that occupy their primary housing units without paying rent.

Notes:  Because of rounding, data may not sum to totals.  See RECS Terminology for definition of terms used in these tables.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Office of Energy Consumption and Efficiency Statistics, Forms EIA-457A and EIA-457C of the 2015 Residential Energy Consumption Survey.